System and Method for Improving Structural Wear on a Motor Vehicle

ABSTRACT

The suspension beam or beams of a truck having a shortened bed are modified by bending a distal end of the suspension beam to decrease the distance between a frame mount point and a wheel mount (ball joint) point. The reduction in distance increases the structural support of the suspension sufficiently to eliminate non-uniform tire wear in shortened wheelbase vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to systems and methods of modifying commercialvehicles for use in heavy towing and aircraft operations. Is been shownto be advantageous for certain commercial vehicles, for example (but notlimited to) heavy duty pickup trucks, to shorten the overall body lengthof the vehicle to achieve a tighter turning radius limited-space workingenvironments. To accomplish this, manufacturers, and aftermarketcompanies, have simply removed several inches to several feet of theframe supporting the vehicle, and shorten the drive shaft and othermechanical components, to achieve a working vehicle.

The present invention solves the problem of unanticipated wear onrotational and other high-wear components (such as tires, wheels, hubs,ball joints, and suspension) due to the reduction in weight of theoriginal factory components, and the altered geometry created by theremoval of several feet of length from the drive shaft, vehicle frame,and other structural components.

2. Background of the Invention and Description of Related Art

This invention relates primarily to shorten heavy-duty towing vehicles,commonly called “bobtail” trucks that are modified after factoryproduction by major automobile manufacturers such as Ford, GeneralMotors, RAM, and now Nissan. While this invention is primarily directedto creating a solution to the wear-and-tear on these aftermarketvehicles, the principles disclosed herein would apply to suspensionmodifications for any production vehicle that is shorten. Additionally,the concepts and principles disclosed herein could be used to correctpotential suspension problems from lengthening vehicles.

The solution disclosed by the present invention was developed as aresult of the inordinate wear of replaceable components of heavilymodified flight line tow tractor (FLTT) vehicles. FLTT vehicles aredesign to be manufactured from production vehicles that have the rearchassis suspension/axles/wheels removed, and repositioned forward andreattached using original equipment manufacturer (OEM) techniques, withshorten frame rails.

By virtue of the repositioning of the suspension/axles/wheels, propercamber adjustment cannot be achieved. Camber is the measure of anglecreated by the wheels of the vehicle between a vertical line defined bythe vehicle frame on flat ground, to the angle of the wheels relative tothe vertical frame. A “positive camber” means that the wheels are angledinward, such that the distance between the top of the front tires isgreater than the distance between the bottom of the front tires.Repositioned rear end of the modified vehicle reduced a sufficientamount of weight from the front suspension, as to create a situation inwhich the vehicle had insufficient weight on the front suspension theplace the front tires and acceptable-wear situation. As a result, fronttire wear on FLTT vehicles is unacceptable. For more than twelve years,multiple solutions have been proposed, none of which have beensuccessful. These proposed solutions include the following.

The camber/caster adjustment of OEM vehicles includes an adjustmentbushing that provides for a range of adjustment. In order to alleviatethe problem of premature tire wear, the outfitters or other providers ofbobtail FLTT vehicles positioned the caster camber adjustment to thehigher limit of positive range, which exacerbated the problem.

Additionally, upon receipt of new vehicles, and identification ofpremature wear on tires, vehicle users have historically set thecaster/camber setting to the lower limit on the negative caster scale.This modification also failed to alleviate the premature wear problemtires. Regardless, both users and outfitters agree that the adjustmentrange of the adjustment bushing does not alleviate the premature wear atany setting within the adjustment range.

Outfitters have also attempted to lengthen the I-beams of the frontsuspension, which decreases the pre-load camber angle.

A larger camber/caster bushing was installed as an additional attempt toprovide a greater range of adjustment, and to alleviate the positivecamber stress introduced by the shorten vehicle frame. The solution didnot correct the problem, and indeed cause additional stress to thesteering components and led to camber bushings failing and the failureof ball joints prematurely.

Another proposed solution was the use of higher quality tires withbetter tread patterns. This likewise did nothing to alleviate theproblem of premature wear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Based on the foregoing, an improved front suspension as needed. Frontsuspensions in accordance with this invention include at least onemodified front suspension I-beam pair that creates the proper camberadjustment for vehicles with shortened frame and drive components.

Generally speaking, the I-beam is modified from the factoryspecification to shorten the distance between the ball joint at thewheel and the attachment point on the frame cross-member between thewheels. This solution seems counter-intuitive and yields an unexpectedresult; by shortening the total distance between the frame and thewheel, the general expectation (and the reason the positive camber wasmaximized as described above) was that the positive camber would be toogreat. The alternative result was achieved through the presentinvention. The inventor determined that by shortening the I-beam length,the weight distribution was more directly on the wheels and ball joint,resulting in a camber angle that reduces wear on the tires andball-joints, as well as the camber/caster bushings at the wheelsuspension. The modification allows for adjustment to the caster/camberangles of FLTT vehicles, while still falling within the factoryspecifications for non-FLTT vehicles, which becomes of paramountimportance when the FLTT vehicles are used for nuclear applicationsand/or require factory warranties to remain intact.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a representation of the I-beams of a heavy-duty vehicle frontindependent suspension, without modification;

FIG. 1A is a front-view of the major components of the a frontsuspension system in accordance with embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 1B is a representation of the left-side of an independent frontsuspension in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a modified I-beam, including the direction ofadjustment for both the longitudinal bend and the angle adjustment ofthe bushing-eye;

FIG. 3 is a side-view of a truck with a shortened bed in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 4 is a listing of specification comparing the before and aftercamber adjustments for a Fort F-350 modified in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a representation of the caster and camber test results of ashortened vehicle without modification;

FIG. 6 is a representation of the caster and camber test results of ashortened vehicle with the modifications described in embodiments of thepresent invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the I-beams ofan independent front-suspension of a vehicle may be modified to preventearly and expensive wear of tires and other suspension components. Theinvention described herein is necessitated by vehicles that are modifiedfrom factory specifications by shortening the frame and drivetrain—typically in pickup trucks and other heavy duty vehicles. Thesevehicles are typically modified to achieve a shorter wheelbase tofacilitate use in airports and at airfields.

FIGS. 1-4 show embodiments of the I-beams for the front suspension of aheavy-duty pickup truck, and attendant modifications in accordance withthe present invention. FIG. 1 shows I-beam suspension members for oneside of the front suspension of a Ford F-series heavy duty truck.

In FIG. 1A, suspension components are shown mounted to the relevantportions of the truck frame, as viewed from the front of the vehicle.While the present invention was tested on a Ford truck, one of ordinaryskill in the art will understand that the principles of the inventionshown herein may be applied to independent front suspensions of othervehicles without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention. Additionally, the principles disclosed herein can be appliedto straight-beam suspensions on heavy duty trucks manufactured byChrysler/Dodge and others. The suspension includes left axle beam 10Land right axle beam 10R. Each of these lateral axle beams 10L and 10Rhas proximal and distal end. For purposes of this disclosure, theproximal end 12 mounts at the ball joint 30 (not shown in FIG. 1A),which in turn is connected to the wheel/tire assemblies 40 on eitherside of the vehicle. The distal end 14 of each I-beam 10L and 10R islocated on the opposite end of the beams 10L and 10R. Each of theseI-beams 10L and 10R attach to a frame cross member 50 using an axlepivot bolt disposed through a bushing inserted into an aperture 16disposed through a mounting bracket (not shown) at the distal ends 14 ofbeams 10L and 10R.

Additionally, there may be a radius arm (not shown) on the left andright side of the frame that attaches to the ball joint 30 at the frontand the frame rails on the left and right side behind the ball joint 30.The radius arm, if present, would be modified to provide adjustment andsupport of the frame and front suspension longitudinally with the frame,and may be adjusted for caster angle of the front left and right wheels.

As shown in FIG. 1, each of the I-beams 10L and 10R include a proximalend 12 and a distal end 14 as described above. Accordingly, a beam body24 is disposed between the proximal end 12 and the distal end 14. Thebeams 10L and 10R may be machined, forged, or assembled, and may bemanufactured of any suitable material, such as iron, steel, aluminum,titanium, or other materials as will be apparent to one of ordinaryskill of the art. The proximal end may have one or more mountingsurfaces 18, 20 which may also include a mounting aperture 22. The beams10L and 10R may also have a structural bend 26 formed in the beam body24.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the modification of a standard truck to an FLTT,typically, one to four feet of the frame and drive shaft are removed toshorten the wheelbase of the vehicle. Prior to modification, the frontsuspension typically supports 70% of the weight of the vehicle, with theremaining 30% supported by the rear suspension. Upon shortening of theframe and drivetrain, the weight distribution shifts to approximately75% front/25% rear.

The result of the shortening of the overall length leads to significantwear issues on the front suspension and tires. The wear is concentratedon the outer-third of the front tires and, on the ball joints thatconnect the beams 10L and 10R to the frame and wheel. Because of thereduction in overall weight of the vehicle by removing the frameportions and shortening the drivetrain, past solutions (as noted above)included lengthening the I-beams to force the resting vehicle into amore negative-camber state. This lengthening of the I-beams resulted inincreased wear on the ball joint, without the benefit of significantreduction in tire wear. The next attempt to address the tire and balljoint wear was to install oversized cam bushing but tests revealed thatthe ball joint wore just as quickly, and did nothing to slow the unevenwear to the outer-third of the front tires. These, as well as the otherattempts described herein to address the premature wear problem, wereunsuccessful.

FIGS. 1B-4 show a solution to address the problems described above. Thebeams 10L and 10R are effectively shortened to reduce the distancebetween the ball joint 30 and frame 50, thereby increasing the camberangle of both the left and right front tires. By reducing the length ofthe beams 10L and 10R, the camber angle is increased. In a preferredembodiment shown in FIG. 4, the aperture 16 is moved upward from thecenterline of the beam 10L in the direction of the existing bend 26,such that the resulting aperture 16′ is approximately 1 mm-3 mm furtherfrom centerline c of the beam 10L, for the Ford heavy duty truck. Bybending the beam body 24 at an existing bend 26, very little additionalstress is applied to the beam 10L, such that the beam maintains itsfunction throughout its intended range and conditions of use. While forexisting Ford F350 axle beams which, for recent models measureapproximately 763 mm (left) and 617 mm (right), beams manufactured inaccordance with the present invention measure 762 mm (left) and 616 mm(right). This minimal reduction in overall length, surprisingly,increases the camber angle sufficiently to alleviate the wear on theouter-third of the tires of trucks outfitted with the modification andstress is relieved at the ball joint and wheel. Due to the increase ofweight distribution to the front of a vehicle due to shortening theframe, the solution also provides additional support for the frontsuspension. Additionally, and for ease of installation, the axle beams10L and 10R may be deflected toward the frame member 50 a distance y asshown in FIG. 2. This deflection, which may be between 0.05 and 0.15 mm,may assist in aligning the mounting aperture 16 with pre-existingmounting position holes on the frame member 50. The bends at 26 (bothupward and deflection) may be performed using any suitable method, suchas a vice, hydraulic press, or other suitable method. Similarly, themodified beams 10L and 10R may be manufactured by machining areplacement modified part from bar stock or through forging such thatthe resultant beam has the same deviations from a stock beam asdescribed above through bending the member.

FIG. 1A shows a graphic representation (though not to scale) of theeffect of the modified vehicle having a shortened length, including themodified beams 10L and 10R in accordance with the present invention.Upon mounting of the modified beams 10L and 10R as described above, thecamber angle (angle from the vertical) is increased from θ to θ′. Theincreased camber resulting from the modification as disclosed hereinresult in the reduced stress on the ball joints and uniform tire wear.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the test results of FLTT vehicles before and afterthe modifications discussed herein for a 2012 F350. The vehicle testresults shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are for a standard F350 vehicle with tworear tires. The center of each graph shows the proper camber, caster,and toe targets for the front and rear suspension of FLTT vehicles. FIG.5 include arrows that show where the vehicles tested based on theshortened wheelbase without the modifications disclosed herein. FIG. 6includes arrows that show the camber, caster, and toe of the FLTTvehicle after modification in accordance with the present invention. InFIG. 5, the original configuration results in a camber angle ofapproximately 1.8° (right) and 3.7° (left). And a caster of 2.9° and3.0°, right and left, respectively. After modification, FIG. 6 shows thevehicles completely within manufacturers specification, for both camberand caster.

While the invention disclosed herein has been specifically discussedwith respect to an independent suspension, the same principles may beapplied to a solid beam suspension. In accordance with a solid orstraight-beam suspension, whereby the ball joints are connected to oneanother via a single, unitary piece, deforming the straight beam in anydirection sufficient to increase the camber of the left and right wheelswould solve the problems created by a shortened vehicle bed.

This disclosure is intended to disclose the spirit and scope of thepresent inventions. Modifications, materials, and methods may beemployed that would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from said spirit and scope.

2. A modified suspension member for a motor vehicle having a shortenedwheel base, comprising: a proximal end, a distal end, and a beam body,wherein, the proximal end is configured to attach to a ball jointattached to a wheel assembly, the distal end is configured to attach toa lateral frame member, and the beam body is disposed therebetween, andwherein the beam body is defined by a centerline from the mountingbracket to an upward bend in the beam body, and wherein the distal endis disposed upward between approximately 1 mm to 3 mm from thecenterline of a non-modified suspension member.
 3. The modifiedsuspension member in accordance with claim 2, wherein the modifiedsuspension member is made from one of iron, titanium, aluminum, iron, ora ferrous alloy.
 4. The modified suspension member in accordance withclaim 2, wherein the modified suspension member is machined from barstock, and wherein the resulting modified suspension member is modifiedrelative to a non-modified suspension member for the same motor vehiclemodel.
 5. The modified suspension member in accordance with claim 2,wherein the modified suspension member is forged, and wherein theresulting modified suspension member is modified relative to anon-modified suspension member for the same motor vehicle model.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1, manufactured by bending the distal end of anon-modified suspension member to shorten the distance between thedistal end and the ball joint.